Yun Jinhe thought that if either Yao Jinsheng or Sun Tianxiu could pass the exam, his efforts would not be in vain...
After returning to his office, Dean Qian began to grade the exam papers. He was busy until dark before he put down his brush and rubbed his aching back.
"Heh, I didn't expect this. The exam went quite well. It seems there's still some talent!" Dean Qian glanced at the papers on the desk and muttered to himself.
The results were out, and all that was left was to hand out the papers tomorrow, letting those two scummy students figure it out for themselves...
To ensure their son could pass the exam, Old Master Yao and Madam Yao set up a shrine in their mansion, kowtowing and offering incense, busy as could be.
Meanwhile, in the old Yun family's Dashui Village...
After the villagers had eaten their fill at the Yun family's home, they each returned to rest.
Dashui Village was still a bit cold in early spring. A cool evening breeze swept across the fields, climbed the courtyard walls, swirled in the corner of the yard, and then drifted towards the dark night sky...
Although there was a slight chill outside, the Yun family's hearts were warm.
In the main house bedroom, Old Man Yun, flushed with drink and very excited, said, "Old woman, did you hear what Eunuch Zhao said? The imperial court is going to build a house for our daughter in Dongping Commandery. Will it be called the Princess's Manor from now on?"
He was so happy. He had seen scenes of bestowal of titles in storybooks before. Usually, for someone like his youngest daughter, she would first be enfeoffed as a village lady, and then a commandery princess or a princess of a different surname...
The Emperor had skipped the preceding stages and directly enfeoffed Little Xi Tian as the Princess of Dongping, which showed how much he truly doted on his daughter.
Madam Gu heard this and smiled, saying, "If it's not called the Princess's Manor, what else would it be called? It can't be called a Princess's Manor, can it?"
"That's not impossible..."
Old Man Yun took two puffs from his tobacco pipe and said with a simple laugh, "Our daughter might be enfeoffed as a princess one day. From then on, anyone who sees her will have to respectfully address her as Your Highness, haha!"
Madam Gu: "..."
Look at how happy you are. Xi Tian is only six years old and has already achieved so much. She will surely be extraordinary when she grows up.
"You talk nonsense when you drink. Go to sleep quickly, and no snoring!" Madam Gu chided him with a glare.
Old Man Yun chuckled, put down his tobacco pipe, soaked his feet, and then got into bed to doze off...
The next morning, just as the Yun family members were waking up, they heard shouting from the courtyard.
"Tanghulu, big tanghulu! Sweetness guaranteed, or your money back! Who wanted to buy tanghulu yesterday? Come out quickly, or it'll melt in the sun..."
The Yun family members looked bewildered upon hearing the shouting.
They came out to take a closer look and saw a small tanghulu vendor carrying a straw stool, chest puffed out, loudly hawking his wares...
Xiao Ying and Xiao Jun stood beside him, each holding a tanghulu, eating and giggling foolishly.
Commander Kong had said that if the two princesses' appetites were satisfied, he would bring the tanghulu vendor over so the princesses could eat their fill...
Little Xi Tian walked out, rubbing her eyes. As soon as she saw the tanghulu, she was instantly awake. She quickly opened her small satchel, took out three copper coins, and ran over with a smile, saying, "Uncle, I want to buy a tanghulu!"
It was so happy to eat tanghulu right after waking up in the morning...
Seeing the little girl looked so cute, the vendor picked out the biggest tanghulu for her and said, "Here you go, I won't charge you!"
This was because Kong Xingzhuo had already paid.
"Thank you, Uncle!" Little Xi Tian bowed and then ran into the house clutching the tanghulu.
By the time Han Chijiao and Xiao Xinling woke up, the small vendor had already been sitting in the courtyard for half an hour...
"Brother Kong is still the best to me!" Han Chijiao's pretty face flushed slightly. She linked her arm with Kong Xingzhuo's and cast a sideways glance at Xiao Xinling, saying, "These tanghulu were all bought by Brother Kong for me. You're not allowed to eat them!"
Xiao Xinling: "..."
Good heavens, ask Commander Kong if he dares not let me eat them.
Hmph, when we return to the palace, let's see how this princess deals with him.
"Eat, eat. As long as you don't ruin your teeth, you can eat as much as you want!" Kong Xingzhuo wiped away his cold sweat.
Thus, the two princesses skipped breakfast and squatted by the well in the courtyard, eating tanghulu and arguing...
After Jin Xiaolou woke up, he went to the cowshed to feed the cows, helped his family milk the cows, and then filled the water缸 before returning to the main hall for breakfast.
Madam Gu saw that he was in low spirits and his little face was a bit dark, so she asked, "Xiaolou, what's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"
Actually, even if Jin Xiaolou didn't say anything, Madam Gu could guess what it was about...
A few days ago, the old man told her that Jin Xiaolou wanted to leave Dashui Village while the weather was warm to find his home.
Da Man and Er Man had also tried to persuade him, but Jin Xiaolou was very eager to go home, and the Yun family could understand...
"Da, Aunt!" Jin Xiaolou put down his chopsticks, his eyes brimming with tears. "I want to leave tomorrow. Thank you, Aunt, Uncle, and everyone in the family for taking care of me during this time. If Xiaolou can really find his way home, I will come back to visit you when I have time!"
Yun Daman heard this, quickly put down his chopsticks, and stood up, saying, "Xiaolou, I'll escort you back..."
The fields at home were almost planted. With the help of the waterwheel for irrigation, the work of watering the fields was not too tiring. Er Man and his father could handle it.
Jin Xiaolou pursed his lips and smiled, "No need, Uncle Daman. I can go by myself!"
He had lived in the Yun family for so long, and it was already a bother to them. Now that farm work was busy, he couldn't bear to trouble Uncle Daman to escort him home...
"Oh, that won't do!"
Old Man Yun frowned, kicked Fang Pian (the dog) lying at his feet, and sighed, "It's so chaotic outside. Where can a child like you go? Let alone going home, you might be caught by human traffickers as soon as you leave the county town!"
Actually, he could completely understand Jin Xiaolou's feelings. Dashui Village had long winters and short summers. If he didn't leave in the spring, it would be late autumn before he knew it. The cold weather would make travel difficult, so leaving now was the most suitable...
Little Xi Tian heard this and blinked her big eyes. Just as she was about to express her thoughts, she heard a voice from outside the door.
"Everyone, please rest assured, I will be responsible for sending him home!"
Everyone turned to look and saw Xiao Jinheng entering with Kong Xingzhuo, holding a map in his hand...
"Uncle, Aunt!" Xiao Jinheng cupped his hands in a salute, then unfolded the map and pointed to a small black dot on it. "This is Jin Xiaolou's country, called Fusang. It is very far from Daliang Kingdom. If you really want to go back, you must take a boat across the sea and drift for half a month before you can arrive..."
After speaking, Xiao Jinheng looked at Jin Xiaolou and asked, "Am I right?"